FlipKey is an online vacation rental marketplace. It is a subsidiary of
TripAdvisor. In 2016 the company listed more than 300,000 properties in 179 countries. Its headquarters is in
Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Although rental owners are verified by the company's staff before being added to the FlipKey website, the site relies heavily on traveler reviews of rental properties. FlipKey also publishes ratings for travel-related items such as food blogs and in the United States it provides ratings of national historic sites.
Citing complaints that FlipKey would not guarantee functional amenities in its rental sites, in 2016
Better Business Bureau gave the company an F rating.
History
FlipKey was founded in 2007 as a house-swapping and vacation rental listing website.
The company was acquired by travel website,
TripAdvisor, in 2008.
That year FlipKey was included in
Travel and Leisure
''Travel + Leisure'' is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC, with trademark ri ...
's list of top travel websites.
At first Flipkey sold subscriptions to homeowners,
operating from offices on Lincoln Street in Boston.
["First look: TripAdvisor's new Boston office near North Station"]
''Boston Globe: BetaBoston'', by Scott Kirsner January 9, 2014 After 2013, FlipKey changed its sales model, giving property owners the option of paying a percentage commission for each property rented.
In 2014, FlipKey moved its offices to Causeway Street in Boston, which was also expected to house another Tripadvisor subsidiary, Smarter Travel.
That year Flipkey created a virtual tour of Boston for its website, to promote its property listings there.
In 2015, FlipKey updated its technology platform, resulting in complaints from some large property managers that they were being overcharged. In 2017, the city of Coral Gables, Florida, sued FlipKey, claiming that the company had ignored city statutes prohibiting commercial activity in residential areas.
"Coral Gables sues FlipKey over illegal short-term rentals"
''The Real Deal'', By Francisco Alvarado , May 17, 2017
References
{{reflist
External links
www.flipkey.com
Tripadvisor
American companies established in 2007
Hospitality companies established in 2007
Real estate companies established in 2007
Internet properties established in 2007
Hospitality companies of the United States
Online marketplaces of the United States
Vacation rental
Companies based in Boston